and we must remember when we talk about rights, children have a right to be safe. so i applaud president obama and vice president biden for proactively taking the necessary steps to address this critical issue. it's going to take all of us united, regardless of party affiliation or our differing views on constitutional rights, to stem this tide of violence. more importantly we must take a hard look at funding for mental health services and other services. we must look at sinking technology -- syncing technology to ensure proper and tighter access to firearms. we must place adequate controls on ammunition. bottom line, we must protect our schools, our communities, children and families must be safe. i respectfully ask my colleagues to make this issue of violence a priority and to support our nation's leadership as they work through resolving this challenge which should not be difficult. if we compromise and keep focusing on saving lives. madam chair, i pledge to support you and to support all my other colleagues with the congressional black caucus to make a difficul